The full works

Hop over to Lusatia

After ten years of intensive work the IBA has something to celebrate and is putting on an extensive programme of attractions in Lusatia

As a "Workshop for New Landscapes" the IBA has accompanied the redevelopment process for 10 years, following the transformation from lignite mining district to Lusatian Lakeland and establishing 30 trendsetting projects.

It is inviting the world to Lusatia in 2010 for a presentation of its work and achievements. The "Paradise 2" art project will form the central focus of the action. Swiss artist Jürg Montalta has been commissioned by the IBA to put the people of Lusatia and the landscape "in the frame", and he will be putting on seven productions in which the people will be the performers and the landscape will be their stage.

The exhibition "The Reconquering of a Landscape" will be on show in the IBA Terraces visitor centre. It looks back on the work of the IBA, from the initial planning meetings on the edge of the recently spent Meuro open-cast mine in the south of Großräschen, which swung the decision to set up an IBA in Lusatia, to the 30 projects which were developed, right through to the 10 theses on dealing with post-mining landscapes, which the IBA will leave behind as a theoretical legacy.

The IBA tours to the changing landscapes have become a particular magnet for visitors over the years. There are 12 tours on offer this year, from guided walks and cycle tours right through to jeep tours in the open-cast mine and raft rides on the new lakes. Most of the tours were largely unsuitable for people with disabilities therefore some special tours have been developed with their specific needs in mind.

There are other events taking place at many IBA project sites. There will be festivals, exhibitions, "walk 'n' talk" tours and much more. Events which will be held on the IBA Terraces include "Deckchair Jazz" and the Film Nights on Lake Ilse. The European Celtic Music Festival at the F60 visitor mine and the drum performance at the Lauchhammer bio-towers promise to be particular highlights.

Download the programme for 2010 as PDF-File.

A WORD OF WELCOME FROM PRIME MINISTER

MATTHIAS PLATZECK

Dear friends of our IBA,
Let me come straight to the point: the Fürst-Pückler-Land International Building Exhibition is a tremendous success. The results of the new design for the area are already more than evident. The boldest of hopes and expectations have come to fruition, some of them beyond our wildest dreams. Today a vision is becoming more of a reality daily: huge areas of waste land are turning into Germany’s most innovative region for water tourism, redesigned to create Europe’s largest set of artificial lakes. Many of the lakes, there are about 30 of them, will be linked by navigable canals, a new network of cycle and skateboard paths will complement the waterways, and new life will move in.
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